According to news reports, Smithfield’s new ownership is primarily intended to export pork products to China, which is prohibited from sending its pork and beef to the U.S due to food safety concerns for both humans and companion animals. Increasingly, American consumers are concerned with the conditions in which their food is produced. Smithfield is one of many companies phasing out gestation crates, horrendous metal-barred cages that keep breeding sows in spaces so tight they cannot even turn around. It had pledged to remove these archaic cages from its international operations by 2022, and we are encouraged to hear the company state that it plans to keep this commitment.

What You Can Do

What can consumers do when faced with difficult issues surrounding food safety and the welfare of animals? Animal health and consumer safety can be encouraged through expanded education. If meat is part of your diet, there are several product-labeling programs that require higher standards of care for farm animals. They include:

Similarly, the government is increasingly responding to consumer demand for more transparency around the conditions in which our food is produced. Just last week, the US Department of Agriculture approved mandatory country-of-origin labeling on steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat that will indicate where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. This is a huge step in the right direction and will help consumers make informed choices when shopping for their families.

Plain text

Comments

we have a two year old large dog that was abandon for a week in filth and fleas with NO food...and the end results she has gashes all over her body due to her scratching and biting the "bug" bites. we have tried many home remedies to try to help with her bad state BUT its an on going battle ...we CANNOT afford blood work or xrays for her..she is now acting lethargic and its scaring us and we have NO monies to have this work done...IS THERE ANY WHERE IN NORTH MIAMI BEACH or close by THAT WE can get FREE financial help for Hersheii ..she is such a loving pet...please help us ...with ANY information available contact me at 786-487-7403 or [email protected]